Chapter 480: Ah?
This was no ordinary raid.
The severe cold in Zezhou has just ended, and the troops of both sides have not yet taken up their positions. According to common sense, they should have at least three to four days before they have small-scale contact.
Moreover, the empire's security has already reached the highest level.
The elite troops of the Papal States were able to bypass their reconnaissance and deployment and raid their positions.
Obviously, this would be impossible without the help of an insider.
We don’t know who it is yet, but the mastermind behind it is undoubtedly Lin Yabo and Yu Zhongxian.
This is an obvious show of force.
If you want to establish your authority, I will destroy your platform.
If you can't win the war, no one will be afraid of you.
Everyone was very angry. The two raids resulted in the loss of more than 9,000 imperial soldiers. They did not die at the hands of the enemy, but at the hands of their own people.
These imperial high-ranking officials have completely regarded the imperial soldiers as tools, and there is nothing in their hearts except their own interests.
Li Longxing could hardly suppress his anger, and became more determined to start the purge from the Council of Review after returning.
He quickly transferred the three crippled divisions to the rear for repair, and immediately mobilized the ace division to attack the Weishanling position head-on, while the Royal Guards surrounded it from behind.
The movements were quite fast, but the enemy not only escaped, but also completely anticipated their pursuit route and shook them off.
Bang!
"Fuck him!"
The Imperial Guards commander, Xu Lishan, slammed the table and cursed, "If I go back to the capital, I'll chop these bastards into pieces and feed them to the dogs."
"Old Xu, there's no point in cursing here." Xiang Nanshan, also the commander of the Imperial Guards, said, "The war is about to begin. We should think more about how to win."
"Fuck him!" Xu Lishan raged. "I'm fighting bloody battles in the front, and someone's shooting me from behind. How can I fight? I might as well just march back to Beijing and finish off those bastards first."
"Stop talking nonsense, Lao Xu."
"What nonsense are you talking about? The worst that can happen is I'll risk my life."
"All transfer orders must go through the Marshal's Headquarters. Your troops have been considered mutinous before they even left the camp. How can you go back?"
"Alright." Li Longxing stopped their quarrel. "This has clearly crossed the line. I will seek help from the Supreme Council."
After a pause, he said carefully, "Next, we will start the war according to the Marshal's established strategy. With a battle line of nearly a thousand kilometers and a depth of several hundred kilometers, with a million people involved, surprise attacks will be useless once the battle begins."
"As long as we are strong, no matter how hard they try, they can't pull us back."
Executive Staff Officer Guo Feng agreed: "Modern warfare is fought on logistics and national strength. The Papal States may have a large population, but most of them are cannon fodder."
"The excessive number of people makes their organization much more difficult and puts enormous pressure on logistics. We can't afford to delay. We only need to maintain a steady defense and suppress them with advanced weaponry to gain the strategic initiative."
Li Longxing nodded: "The Supreme Commander would not want us to lose the battle, and the Central Army would not want to suffer any damage to its own strength. Active defense is their most desired strategy."
Imperial Marshal Shang Lianshan nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I will fully support you at the Marshal's military meeting."
Li Longxing nodded, "The victory of the empire depends on all of you present here."
"Long live the Empire!"
Everyone shouted in unison: "Long live the empire!"
——
In another small meeting room in the main castle of Xindeng City.
Li Linyue summoned all the core members of the Princess Faction. Except for a few old people and internal affairs personnel, most of them were young generals, including the Empire's twin stars Yang Jiewei and Xu Feili.
Most of them are from local army or central army.
She never got involved in the Royal Guards commanded by her father.
"Everyone."
Li Linyue was still wearing a military uniform, and her beautiful face made her look like a goddess of war walking out of a painting.
"I'm sure everyone knows what happened recently."
"This is the consequence of what I said before: the sun is obscured by dark clouds, and the voice of truth is drowned out by noise."
"If the Empire had a single voice, if His Majesty held complete authority, if there were a clear hierarchy and order, if the vile could not advance, if the virtuous and powerful could walk with their heads held high, if the lawless were to be utterly destroyed, if the laws of the Empire could not be violated, then what is happening now would not have happened, the soldiers would not have fallen to arrows shot from behind, and those who fought for the Empire would not have shed blood and tears."
Xu Feili was the first to shout: "Down with the elders, Your Majesty is supreme."
All the soldiers shouted again in unison: "Down with the elders, Your Majesty is supreme."
Li Linyue nodded slightly: "Everyone, the way to serve the empire is actually very simple, that is to win."
"Please work together and fight to the end."
"Yes, Your Highness."
After everyone dispersed, Li Linyue left behind a few core generals.
"Fili, I'm going to trouble you for a while. Please help me keep an eye on the movements of the Marshal's Headquarters and report any information in a timely manner."
Xu Feili was a tall, blond man. He smiled charmingly, "Yes, my Lord. For you, I can do anything."
Li Linyue curled her eyes and gave him an approving smile.
He added, "Yang, I'll leave the task of thoroughly investigating the traitors and spies to you."
Yang Jiewei was a steady, dark-haired man. He said calmly, "As you command, Your Highness. I will not let go of any fool who endangers the empire."
Li Linyue nodded slightly and said, "Xiao Zhizhong, Chang Yuankai, you must quickly decipher the letters and telegrams that Lian Yi hasn't had time to destroy."
The two princesses' confidants answered in unison, "Yes, my Lord."
Back in the bedroom, a woman with a charming but fierce look came over. Li Linyue bowed slightly and said, "Mother."
The woman's face was unfriendly. "Lin Yue, you're doing those dirty things again. Be careful that you won't be able to get married in the future!"
Li Linyue knew not to argue with her mother about anything. Who would say no to whoever the First Princess wanted to marry? Who dared to say no?
"You're right, mother. I'm just doing my best to help father..."
The woman said sternly, "Your father needs your help? Just don't make things worse."
Li Linyue was inexplicably scolded and was in a bad mood. When she returned to her room, she saw Li Yuchen sitting in front of the computer and typing furiously. She shouted angrily, "Yuchen! You're not doing your job again! Is this how you want to be the future emperor of the empire?"
Li Yuchen yelled, "What do you know? I'm mobilizing public opinion online to expose their ugly deeds."
Li Linyue's eyebrows shot up: "How dare you talk back! Have you finished reading On War?"
"I've finished reading it."
"He turned to the last page and that's it." Little Princess Li Qingyue ruthlessly exposed him.
Li Linyue was furious and twisted his ear to drag him away. Li Yuchen held on to his computer and suddenly wailed, "My post was deleted again!"
Just as the noise was going on, there was a sudden loud noise and the whole ground shook.
Li Linyue reacted incredibly quickly, pulling Li Yuchen down, hugging her sister, and throwing herself on him.
The explosions continued, and the huge sound waves shattered all the glass.
The vibration took a long time to stop. Li Yuchen, who was pressed at the bottom, suddenly felt a drop of warm liquid dripping on the back of his hand.
When I looked up, I saw a long wound on my sister's face.
"sister!"
Li Linyue slowly stood up, dust and glass fragments sliding off her body. She glanced at Li Yuchen and felt relieved that he had no injuries.
He took another look at the little princess in his arms. Her face was flushed and her big eyes were twinkling with worry.
"The Papal States must be attacking." She came to a terrifying conclusion in a childish voice.
"Stay here and don't move." Li Linyue ordered, took a handkerchief to wipe the blood off her face and ran out.
When I ran out of the castle, I saw that one side of the castle had been blown down, with thick smoke billowing and the ground full of charred pits and burning fires.
The people in front were all royal guards, and the cold light from their bodies merged into one, making it impossible to open one's eyes.
On the side was Imperial Marshal Fu Wenyu and his troops, who was arguing loudly with the captain of the Royal Guard.
Li Linyue took a step forward, and when the royal guards saw that it was Her Royal Highness the Princess, they dispersed slightly to let her in.
Li Linyue saw the bodies of the attackers. They were a group of giants, at least more than a hundred people, and they had all been wiped out by the Royal Guards. The scattered bodies and large-caliber mortars were scattered all over the ground.
She heard Fu Wenyu's angry voice not far away.
"This is the Marshal's Headquarters, formed by the Empire's highest military headquarters, responsible for all matters related to this war. Everything here is under the command of the Marshal's Headquarters! This is a very serious attack! The Marshal's Headquarters must take full control, and the attacker's body must of course be handed over to the Marshal's Headquarters for disposal!"
The captain of the Royal Guards was glowing with cold light all over his body, and the strong light even obscured his figure. It was the appearance of the biochemical engine of the Colonial Primarch running at full power.
He said coldly, "I'm sorry, but I have to wait until His Majesty comes before I can make a decision."
Fu Wenyu shouted angrily, "You are violating the imperial military order! The empire belongs to everyone, not just the emperor!"
The captain of the Royal Guard ignored him.
Fu Wenyu was extremely angry and shouted, "You are rebelling!"
With a click, all his troops raised their guns, but the royal guards were not afraid at all, and no one even glanced at him.
Soon, the main members of the Marshal's Department arrived, including my father.
Li Linyue couldn't hear what they were saying.
A moment later, the royal guards took action. They collected all the giants and the remnants at the scene, transported them to the garrison, and escorted Li Linyue back.
Before leaving, Li Linyue heard a fierce quarrel breaking out over there.
With worries gathering in her heart, Li Linyue returned to her bedroom in silence and hastily treated the scars on her face.
It was discovered on the day of the attack that it was released from the Seventh Army’s base.
The attackers were the newly formed Death Guards of the Papal States. Disguised as the Imperial Army's Giants, they passed through the Seventh Army's base and launched a surprise attack on the headquarters of Marshal Neudenburg, intending to decapitate the Imperial Army.
However, Li Linyue was very clear that the side whose main fort was destroyed was the one where the imperial officers were.
The other party was coming for them.
Moreover, the imperial army has strict military orders and strict order. Does that mean it can be disguised?
The commander of the Seventh Army was removed from office and investigated, and a pro-imperialist deputy commander was temporarily appointed as the final solution to the incident.
It's also good news.
But that night, the deputy commander could not bear the pressure and committed suicide.
The next day, the Papal States suddenly launched an all-out attack.
The war broke out prematurely.
The Empire responded quickly and immediately implemented the plan formulated before the war.
That is: On the Western Front, use strong fortresses, artillery, trenches, and defensive positions to destroy the enemy's manpower in large numbers.
On the Eastern Front, advanced weapons, tanks, aircraft, and special forces were used to compress the Papal States' front.
Among them, the western front is the top priority.
When defending the Western Front, artillery is of paramount importance.
The Papal States was not as vast as the Empire, which required a large number of garrison troops to maintain stability. He mobilized all the forces of the country, and with the support of a large number of world forces, used the religion to brainwash and sent nearly a quarter of the young and middle-aged men in the country to the battlefield.
Its combat personnel are more than ten times that of the empire. Zezhou has a long and narrow terrain with many plains and mountains, so the number of people is enough to fully exert its power.
These soldiers had only received simple training and were equipped with only a gun, a vest, and a helmet. Their purpose was to consume the empire's firepower.
The world powers specially provided the Papal States with a large amount of biological and chemical defense equipment, created international public opinion, and sent military observers to prevent the Empire from using biological and chemical means to eliminate cannon fodder on a large scale.
Yu Zhongxian also provided the Papal States with a variety of anti-biological and chemical means, specifically targeting the biological and chemical warfare weapons possessed by the empire.
But Li Longxing had no intention of using that thing from the beginning.
The best way to deal with these people is artillery shells. Even bullets are not as effective as artillery shells, not to mention expensive missiles.
He had prepared a large number of artillery and heavy cannons on the Western Front early on, assembling an artillery cluster unprecedented in human history.
When the artillery cluster opened fire, the entire earth trembled. Every inch of the 200,000 square kilometers of front-line positions had been bombarded by artillery fire, and every inch of land had been the site of attempts to dig trenches. The Papal State advanced with difficulty at terrible losses, with countless blood and flesh flying everywhere, and the smoke of gunpowder almost formed a dark cloud over Zezhou.
During the first five days of the war, an average of 20 million artillery shells were fired every day.
The stock was sold out in five days.
"Have you run out of ammunition?"
Li Longxing found it difficult to understand. The empire had been frantically arming for a long time. It had at least 500 million artillery shells in stock, and the number was increasing at a rate of 90 million per month.
He immediately ordered a thorough investigation and soon discovered that the Imperial General Logistics Department had handed over the transportation of artillery shells to Central Line Logistics.
The central line logistics was completely returned by Li Longxing.
This is a very insidious move.
If Li Longxing loses the battle, it will be entirely his own fault.
But receiving it is even more impossible. Yu Zhongxian and Lin Yabo have more tricks up their sleeves, and he can't get anything he wants.
what to do?
If the firepower of the artillery is reduced, the casualties of the imperial army will increase, and the defense system centered on artillery will collapse, which will lead to unimaginable consequences.
Li Longxing immediately convened a meeting and planned to change the defense measures. At the same time, he sent someone back to the Supreme Council to explain the pros and cons to the Grand Elder.
Li Linyue was also worried about this, but her younger sister Li Qingyue overheard her sister's melancholy and said, "Sister, why don't you ask that brother-in-law?"
——
Changshan County.
Lin Wen: “Ah?”
(End of this chapter)
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